Thoughts from the interface of science, religion, law and culture

After spending several years touring the country as a stand up comedian, Ed Brayton tired of explaining his jokes to small groups of dazed illiterates and turned to writing as the most common outlet for the voices in his head. He has appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show and the Thom Hartmann Show, and is almost certain that he is the only person ever to make fun of Chuck Norris on C-SPAN.

EVENTS

Farah’s Day of Prayer is America’s Last Chance

Joseph Farah has begun to make the rounds to promote his 9/11 day of prayer — we’ll call it a magical stupidity tour — and landed on Rick Wiles’ TruNews radio show, where he announced that this event is “our last chance” to save America from the wrath of God.

Wiles: I used to say we’re going to go over the cliff. We’re over the cliff. We went over the cliff. We are in the air. We are going down now.

Farah: We’re like Wile E. Coyote when he goes off the cliff and he looks down until he recognizes it, that’s when he falls.

Wiles: That’s where we’re at, and the next sound we’re going to hear will be the splat. And I don’t know if very many Christians are fully aware that we’ve already gone over the cliff. You know, people talk about the fiscal cliff, but what about the morality cliff? We’ve gone over the morality cliff and we’re now dropping. And we are at the state where if there is not a miracle, a sovereign act of the Holy God to stop this, then we are going to smack the ground. There is no doubt we are already descending. And so, this is a matter of life and death. This isn’t, ‘Oh, Joseph Farah’s got a nice idea, we ought to gather together and have prayer and fasting, isn’t that a cute little idea.’ No, this is life and death!

Farah: Right, I’ve heard this before, this kind of thing. It can’t be like that. This is our last chance.

Wiles: Yes!

Farah: I mean, that’s the way I feel about it, it’s our last chance. And by the way, it’s not a one-day thing. Something, you know, I remember when I first floated this idea, I got tremendous reaction from people, they loved it, they were enthusiastic, but their response was, ‘Why do we have to wait until 9/11?’ And my response to them, as many as I could respond to, was simply this: ‘You’ve got to prepare yourself for this.’ I’m just thinking to myself, I have a lot to repent for. And, you know, it might take me five months to get into that state of full and total humility and repentance. That’s what we have to be doing right now, cleaning our own act up, not pointing fingers at everybody else, you know, ‘Obama’s doing this to us’ and…You know, Obama’s part of the judgment.

Wiles: That’s right. He is the judgment. He’s our pharaoh.

Yes, yes, it’s our last chance. Until the next day of prayer dreamed up by another wingnut group. And 10 more next year. And so on. And so on.

I just don’t get this whole Christianity thing, with the god who came to earth and had some nails ran trough his hands so that said god could just kind of forgive us for Eve’s sin of being deceived; if the Christians still wank on about god passing judgment even still. What was the whole purpose of Jesus if not to move judgment from earthly disasters to an everlasting hell for not “getting it?”

US xianity is dying and it has become obvious enough that even the fundies have noticed it. Barna, the evangelical polling organization has found that 37% of US citizens are “post-xians”. It is heading for majority status in a few decades.

This is their last chance to do some more and serious damage to our society.

Not only five months of preparation; I think five months of fasting also are called for in advance of this event in order to clear the mind and let Gob know that they’re serious. Think of all the money they could save to put in the collection plate.

Am I the only one who wants to see some enterprising young skeptic with good video skilz cobble something together with Philled (with) Shitfly, Chrissy Oh’Dingdong or oneathem nice KKKristianladies squatting in front of a canister vacuum cleaner saying:

The US probably “went over the cliff” in the late 18th century when the 1st Amendment to the Constitution was ratified baring the establishment of religion.

Since we haven’t hit bottom in over 200 years, it must mean that we also got enough sideways velocity to achieve a reasonably stable orbit. Thus, unlike Wile E. Coyote, we should be able to keep falling freely for quite some time to come.

Day of prayer? Don’t you have one of those, like, every weekend? In fact, aren’t good Christians praying pretty much every day? Trying to organise your own day of prayer sounds like (a) superfluous, and (b) a sin of pride.

Make 9/11 a national day of laughter instead. Death and hate gave you 9/11; counter it by celebrating joy and life.

Of course when nothing happens to destroy America they will clain victory.

My money is on a disaster like another hurricane hitting a major city in late summer, bolstering fundies to claim “God is punishing US for the sins of our nation”. It’s a win-win to be a prophet if you can do it right.